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Yea book 2 seems to be moving on pretty smoothly. The 3/4 time songs seems to be the easiest, I took a sneak peak at the German "du" song and it seems to be a lot easier than the one I am working on. Funny because in book 1 I found myself struggling with the 3/4 time and now I like it best. I have a Casio keyboard with the "touch response" and seems you can't hold the notes as long as a regular piano, but then again mine is a wk-200 cost me about 150 dollars. I will probably get something nice when I am finished with book 3.

Wow. That does seem like a lot for the $$$. I'd looked a bit in the DP thread and had assumed you needed to spend upwards of 1500 to 2000 for 88 weighted keys. Thanks, sounds like I need to do some basic research.

By the way, the tip on simultaneous stac/legat worked fine. Now, if I could solve the problem in Overture of my left and right hands wanting to smash into each other.......

Hello everyone! I'm jumping into the Book Two thread as I've just graduated from Book One during my lesson I while ago

My teacher and I worked on the first couple of pieces Down in the Valley and Bridal Chorus and seeing as they were just reviews in the Key of C and much easier than Amazing Grace from Book 1, I almost sight-read them. I'm supposed to polish them until next week's lesson. My teacher switched my DP to "pipe organ" setting while I was playing Bridal Chorus, which elicited quite a few laughs I can't wait for the more challenging pieces in the book - around where do they start?

@ JimF: I think you need to spend around $500~600 for a decent Casio entry level DP. I initially started with a Casio CTK-800 keyboard with touch response (more or less $200) and thought I was happy with it until I played some acoustics at a music store and realized how weak my fingers were (plus the PW people convinced me to get something with weighted keys). Even though my Casio PX-720 was less than $1000, it was a major decision for me but I never regretted the purchase (though I do regret that I don't have enough money to buy something better ). I also don't have to worry about running out of keys, especially since my other non-Alfred pieces require the keys at the upper/lower end of the treble/bass.

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Finished: Alfred Bk 1 / Currently on: a bunch of pop & classical piecesWorking on: Czerny 599 and Christmas piecesResumed lessons in Jan. 2016 after 5 years of having no instrument!

Congrats Marimorimo on your graduation! I envy your having a teacher and think its time I really gave some thought to that issue, especially if I'm going to treat myself to a new "toy". When I get to little things like the triplet in Amaz Grace which begins with d#eg arpeggiated chord and ends with dc, its pretty obvious that having a teacher show me how in the world I'm supposed to play that would really be a lot easier than trying to work it out myself. I've no idea what I would do if youtube examples were not available to hear and look at.

I'm on third day of Overture and its finally starting to come together. Does anyone else ever have what I call "happy hands?" Thats when one hand or the other which isn't doing much tries to move for no real reason.When I watch the accomplished players on youtube their hands always seem so "quiet" to me, very controlled and relaxed, and certainly not wanting to move for no reason at all.

Feel free to post recordings of yourself playing on this thread. It's a great way to have a "tangible" product once finishing a piece and to receive feedback. Personally, I find it very enjoyable to hear everyone's interpretation and personalization of the songs, it's fun.

I don't have "happy hands:, but I have "runaway hands." That's when one of my hands isn't doing anything much and tends to run away from the keyboard! Sometimes, I even end up thinking "Huh? Where did my hand go?"

@Waltz: I'm planning to post recordings, once I get over the laziness of bringing the laptop to the piano and connecting the midi cable to it!

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Finished: Alfred Bk 1 / Currently on: a bunch of pop & classical piecesWorking on: Czerny 599 and Christmas piecesResumed lessons in Jan. 2016 after 5 years of having no instrument!

Introduction and Dance (combined with some serious buildup of activity with work) delayed me for a few weeks. I am currently at a reasonable level of polish on that, Streets of Laredo, and Plaisir d'Amor (pardon the spelling there, it's off the top of my head... in fact, I may not even be close... it's that Elvis piece). But until I can grab a reasonable recording, you'll have to take my word for it.

House of the Rising Sun is next. Still can't believe I am only 40 something pages into this.

Anyone out there good with notation? This is a general question, so please take a look even if you haven't gotten to this song yet.

In Space Shuttle Blues (page 75), there are 4 beats per measure in a 4/4 time signature. The second measure is two 1/8th notes followed by one half note. That adds up to 3 quarter notes! I understand the tie to the next measure, but I still think they should show another quarter note in that measure. Comments?

The half note has an augmentation dot - making it 3 beats long. I bet im not the first to mention this - but hay ho.

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I told my wife I wanted a grand piano she said - no way - £500 maximum.

Those were great, AW2PP! I am SO far behind you now. It takes me weeks to get a song to about half the level that you do. I was hoping to get to Book 2 before the end of the year, but I don't see that happening.

ETUDE opus 10 no 3.... I had been pretty much flying through book 2, but this one stopped me dead in my tracks. I'm glad because this song seems to be worth figuring out, The only song I skipped was Aloha Oe, I just cant sit there and spend hours trying to get that song right. Black Forest Polka was pretty easy once you get the pattern down, and it seems to be pretty much the same lesson learning about 1st and 2nd inversions? Is there any benefit to Aloha Oe that I will miss by skipping it? ETUDE seems to be worth trying to make a recording when its done because of the complexity.

Got started on Light and Blue this morning. Just read it through, noted the repeats and harder looking spots, clapped it, and started casually picking at the right hand notes. Suspect I will like it because I have a lot of piano blues ipod tunes and really enjoy that style. Polishing Overture and Guantanamera. Your tips on Overture were very useful and it now seems almost a trivial little piece. You can't beat that feeling when what once seemed insurmountable suddenly gels - when you know its all downhill from there.

Most of my practice time recently has been in piano stores!! Decided my little unweighted keyboard will eventually hold me back, so its time to step up. Have test driven 4 or 5 manufacturers and models from the very low end to the highest. Trying to decide between a Roland HP207 and a Yamaha CLP (looking at 330,340, and 380). If anyone can provide insight to these or other digitals it would be greatly appreciated.

AWtPP, good job on those two pieces... I know Intro & Dance is a bit hard and fast too. The important thing is to capture the technique they want you to try, and later on you can go back to it to make sound better. I should follow my own advice actually as I seem to spend too much time trying to "perfect" it so I can record it, which I really don't think is necessary. I think you played it just right.

Waltz: on status update, I paused at Olympic Procession as I got busy with chords and piano accompaniment exercises. I'm hoping to get back on the horse early next week.

JimF, sorry can't help with the piano search (I did that a few times and I know it's painful), I suggest you search the forum, there is lots of info on all kinds of pianos and keyboards.

AWtPP, good job on those two pieces... I know Intro & Dance is a bit hard and fast too. The important thing is to capture the technique they want you to try, and later on you can go back to it to make sound better. I should follow my own advice actually as I seem to spend too much time trying to "perfect" it so I can record it, which I really don't think is necessary. I think you played it just right.

Thanks, MiM. As to the technique, I wonder if anyone else noticed while they learned this... I got the sensation that my hands, especially my right hands, were moving vertically quite a bit. That I had to go up and down to fit fingers between the black keys. I mentioned this to my PT, and she said the unfamiliarity of jumping in between the black keys is the reason for this... but I thought I would throw this observation out to the rest of you.

I started out with a Yamaha unweighted $299.00 keyboard. A year later I purchased a more advanced weighted/graded key Yamaha $1200..still not happy a year later. Then I purchased my Kawai acoustic Grand, I found it on Craig's list. Extremely happy, except my husband didn't like the loudness of it. Then the problem became finding a DP that touched like my Grand but could be practiced with head phones to keep the husband quiet, I ended up with a used Kawai MP9000 stage piano and I love it. I only have $1300. invested including a new amplifier (Peavey KB4). You definitely need weighted & graded keys its the only way you will learn touch control or at least that's what I call it. Check out your local Craig's list. My Piano Teacher has a Roland and I like it also but the touch is better on the Kawai. The reason I'm sharing this is to encourage you to not cheat yourself. "New" isn't always better. My Kawai DP was the top of the line when it was produced 10 years ago. I got a great buy on it used, so it cost me less than Yamaha's midrange weighted/graded new Digital pianos & It has better touch. I will be sending my Kawai DP after the first of the year to be serviced and lubricated just because I love it so much and I want to ensure I get the most out of it.

Aloha is simply playing triad, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion, repeat... It's an exercise in inversions, so if you can do those without issue, you didn't miss too much.

How long have you played piano bobjr? You are a very quick learner regardless

And, by all means, make a recording of 10/3. I'd love to hear it! A thread earlier was debating the usefulness of simplified arrangements but I think you'll find this one rewarding.

When I was a kid a friend of mine had a piano in his living room and we used to do a lot of playing by ear, never took any lessons but always wanted to learn. 10/3 is slowly coming together, can't play it yet. I'm starting to see this piece in a whole new way. I think these are nice because it gives you a preview of what you're going to be able to play once you get good. 10/3 and Canon in D a lot of times are what draws a lot of people to piano unfortunately they are difficult so the simplified versions are nice to tie us over until we get better. How many times do you really want to play the "hokey pokey" and "he's got the whole world", I say you tend to spend more time on songs that you actually like to hear.

I had my piano lesson a while ago. Actually I never got the first two pieces really perfect but my teacher let me move on, because the pieces were quite boring, especially the first one, Down in the Valley. And I admit I was quite lazy to practice this week I'm glad the next pieces sound really nice - Guantanamera and Overture. I'm so excited and motivated to master them!

Btw, this week it's exactly 6 months since I started to learn piano! (Keeping track)

Edited by marimorimo (10/22/0908:05 AM)

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Finished: Alfred Bk 1 / Currently on: a bunch of pop & classical piecesWorking on: Czerny 599 and Christmas piecesResumed lessons in Jan. 2016 after 5 years of having no instrument!

You definitely need weighted & graded keys its the only way you will learn touch control or at least that's what I call it.

Thats as I suspected. Its nice to confirm that others have been down the same road. Acoustic would be wasted for now since I'd hate to subject my wife to my repetitive banging away. Hopefully the CLP or Roland I'm trying to decide between will suffice for a good long while. I know I'm exited to get on with it.

your Wife will get used to the banging away as you put it.....I firmly believe that even though DP are nice, there is just no way to really learn the touch thing without an acoustic. I have both and hands down I prefer my acoustic. In regard to the spouse issue. My husband only made a point on the loudness for the first couple of months after I got the acoustic. These days He Says "I don't even notice you playing anymore"& I play with the Top open. The real reason I decided to have a DP is because I sleep not as much as my Husband does so I like to get up at 4:30 in the morning and play...he does notice when I do this, so the digital allows me to play at odd hours of the morning and night without bothering him. My only other concern is that your taste in Pianos will change as you become better accomplished. I personally have purchased 4 different digital pianos, including my beloved Kawai, over a 4 year period and 1 acoustic Kawai. Be in no rush and I still encourage looking at some high end used (I say used because there really are some great deals to be had on used instruments, I like to find the deals) stage pianos, they may not be as attractive but they do have advantages. Another thing I like about mine is the portability feature. I don't know if you do holidays at other peoples homes.....I take mine with me and play and let others also play.....really makes for a new (new old tradition) thing at Christmas, everyone now looks forward to me bringing my piano. In addition, I get loneley without my piano....my husband likes to do things away from our home on a lot of weekends...I really miss my piano when I can't play. I can now take it with me on the weekends, My husbands complaint on the digital is that it weighs in at 75 pounds, I can bearly move it but I'm also motivated. I waited 48 years to make my dream come true....& my Spouse has been very accommodating and supportive, I'm sure yours will be just as supportive. Are you set on a Brand new DP? if so why new?

after you get a little further if you go back and try it again you will probably be able to play it easily. I had a little trouble getting motivated to play "Down in the valley" , I wish they could have chosen a better sounding song to start book 2, but the songs get better and better as you go on. "Down in the Valley" and "Aloha Oe" so far seem to be the only 2 songs I just couldn't find the motivation for.

I need some advice. I've ordered the 2nd all in one book, only got Amazing Grace left and I think I finally got those damn arpeggios down so I think I'm gonna be done soon. The problem is the book might not be here for 3-4 weeks, so I need something that can occupy me until it arrives. Anyone got some suggestions ? As in free pieces which I can find on the net and have a go at. Ordering a supplemental book would just take ages :p

Around difficulty start of 2nd book / End of first book so I won't get too frustrated and can prepare a bit for the 2nd book. I just have no idea what I'm good enough to work at so anyone suggestions would be welcome.

This site with free piano sheet music has often been recommended: Gmajormusictheory. You're probably in Beginner Level 3 or 4 (or you can challenge yourself to any of the other levels if you like!). But personally I really recommend you to try playing classical music (also available under "Keyboard Classics" at the site I linked) because playing classical music teaches you left hand independence - something that I believe is sorely lacking in Alfred, at least up to where I am in the series as of the moment. I find classical music requires a bit more technique (and more of a challenge for me) than Alfred. You can probably reasonably master any piece from any Level 1 book of Classical Repertoire collection.

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Finished: Alfred Bk 1 / Currently on: a bunch of pop & classical piecesWorking on: Czerny 599 and Christmas piecesResumed lessons in Jan. 2016 after 5 years of having no instrument!

bobjr: Yes, I'm planning to go back to those 2 pieces once in a while just so I can say I really "mastered" them. I find them quite easy, but I get these hiccups here and there (I have a problem with extended positions). Unfortunately, the tunes themselves weren't inspiring enough to motivate me to practice. In the case of Bridal Chorus, I felt really embarassed playing it though I like the tune, because I think any people who can hear it in the apartment would think it weird that I was playing wedding music!

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Finished: Alfred Bk 1 / Currently on: a bunch of pop & classical piecesWorking on: Czerny 599 and Christmas piecesResumed lessons in Jan. 2016 after 5 years of having no instrument!